Sophomore forward Marcus Derrickson is averaging 12.6 points in his last three games. On the season Derrickson averages 7.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. (FILE PHOTO: DAN KREYTAK/THE HOYA)

Following its second straight Big East defeat, the Georgetown men’s basketball team seeks its first conference win as the Hoyas travel to take on the Providence Friars Wednesday night.

The Friars (10-5, 0-2 Big East) return home following a winless three game road trip after starting the season 10-2. Georgetown (8-6, 0-2 Big East) looks to hand Providence their first home loss of the season, as the Friars sport a 9-0 record at home this season.

In past meetings, the Friars have proven to be a tough test for the Hoyas , winning the last four meetings in the past two seasons. However, with former Providence star guard Kris Dunn now playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Georgetown hopes to regain the edge in this conference rivalry.

After watching their star depart for the NBA, Providence has experienced a dip in offensive production. Junior forward Rodney Bullock leads the team in scoring with 18.1 points per game, but the team has struggled to find scoring elsewhere as the Friars’ offense averages only 69 points per contest.

Georgetown came into conference play hot off of six straight wins, but has faltered lately due to inconsistent scoring and defensive play. Despite shooting 76.4 percent shooting from the free throw line this season, the Hoyas struggled in their most recent contest — hitting only 61 percent of their free throws — which stalled thier comeback bid against Xavier (12-2, 2-0 Big East) in the waning minutes of the game.

Providence has taken better care of the ball than Georgetown this season, averaging two fewer turnovers per game. The Hoyas, however, have an edge in rebounds and blocks thanks to solid play from their frontcourt which features senior center Bradley Hayes — averaging 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game — and sophomore center Jessie Govan — averaging 5.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

Georgetown also owns the advantage over Providence in points per game and three-point shooting percentage. Georgetown graduate student guard Rodney Pryor averages a team-high 20.1 points per game and has 43 threes on the season. Sophomore forward Marcus Derrickson has found scoring success as of late, recording double figures in the team’s past three games.

With undefeated Villanova (14-0, 2-0 Big East) among five other Big East squads in the top 35 of the KenPom rankings, Georgetown must start winning to keep pace in the loaded conference.

“It’s early,” Thompson said of his outlook on conference play following the team’s loss to Xavier. “I can put on a positive hat and rattle off a lot of good things that happened today — because there were some good things that happened today — but we just got to make sure more positive things happen and fewer negative things so we can get a different outcome.”

Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.